Patrice is a teacher and lives in the Reunion Island. He is sympathetic CNT. Echoing the general strike in the West Indies, Reunion wakes up too. Maintenance.
What is the social situation in Reunion?
Officially the unemployment rate was 24, 5% in the second half of 2008 (but 49% under 25, 26.5% for women). The Meeting had at that date 78,000 unemployed (ILO definition), or nearly one third of the workforce (figures from INSEE). But the reality is worse, given that many casual workers are not included in this accounting, any more than other workers part-time or part-time. The most alarming figure is that 52% of people living below the poverty line (880 € / month): in fact, the average salary rarely exceeds the minimum wage and a lot of "active" work only part time. As for the RMI, 70,000 people (roughly one tenth of the population) were receiving it in December 2007 (no figures released recently).
Apart from the construction industry, few sectors are likely to offer jobs. The end of construction of the "Route des Tamarins" (fast track "by the high" between South and St. Paul; project funded by the Region, State and Europe) will soon be on the floor of many workers. The project of "tram-train" between St. Paul and St. Denis is more or less down. The new "coast road" (which should have doubled the existing coastal road linking the West to Saint-Denis) is not for tomorrow either (too many problems related to climate and geological texture). Even if we continue to build anywhere and anyhow, this skimping on agricultural land or on the coast area, very expensive homes, but "défiscalisables" (The meeting is among the departments with the more "residents" submitted to IGF), the employment effects are minimal, given the almost systematic recourse to labor "black".
The region relies heavily on tourism (luxury tourism: not a single camp beside the lagoon ...). In this regard, competition of Mauritius will be difficult to catch, in any case the benefits to the people will be zero or near zero, as elsewhere. The sugar industry (the only industry "endemic") is almost cast: Dechâteauvieux - one of the big "zozos" of the island (zozo = beke West Indies) - has long since sacrificed the sector to focus its activities on import-export and retail). This is the paradox: The meeting does not produce or export almost nothing and imports everything! The "dock dues" collected by the Region is certainly an important source of tax revenue, but this is not what explains the increase from 30 to 50% compared to prices in the metropolis of all imported products : various mafias are involved across the transport and distribution. Apart from the big bourgeoisie who can continue driving Porsches and playing golf (regardless of whether the water shortage is a recurring problem), no one is doing. Not even the officials, despite their 35% salary increase (increase ostensibly to reduce the price differential between the overseas and the mainland, and is perceived by all officials, islanders as metropolitans). The scandal is not that employees benefit (such as certain demagogues trumpet by UMP or the like), but that all the islanders are not housed in the same boat. It should be noted that the amount of rent and the purchase price of m2 in the city are the same as in Paris. For rents, they are isolated Reunion for workers or students, and more for migrants (Malagasy, Comorian, Mahorais), out of reach.
What set fire to the powder?
The fire is still smoldering. Let's say the issue of high cost of living is unifying. Surveys have shown that consumer goods were 30 to 50% higher than in metropolitan ("What to choose?"). Despite the attempts of "smoking out" (establishment of an "Observatory of prices," gadget "trolley-type": monthly monitoring of prices of fifty branded products driven by the prefecture and large retailers, and relayed by the local press), prices increased overall by 2.6% in 2008. With peaks on the products most consumed by Reunion: + 43% for rice + 30% for oil.
The movement of carriers around the cost of fuel in November 2008 has played an important role (see the suites in Guyana and the Caribbean): blocking the road for two weeks, starting the whole economy of the island. The Prefect, in this case, skillfully maneuvered, managing to impose, without costing a penny to the state, down 20 cents / liter, paid half by the oil companies, half by the Region of ... What anyway is nothing, as the price of crude in the meantime fallen by two thirds, without affecting the pump. Neither the price of air travel ...
The monopoly position occupied by large retailers (Carrefour, Euromarket, Score, Casino) is disastrous to all local shops are closing one after the other, the prices set by supermarkets as a reference to local market prices ( fruits, vegetables, etc..). As people are over-indebted (rents, multiple credit, bank charges, etc..), There is nothing left to trim. Sign of the general confusion: Reunion is the region that pays the most money to the French Games (the equivalent of RMI!).
What forms does the fight?
A collective unit against high prices was created on February 11, settling four objectives: increase of € 200 net wages, welfare income, pensions and fellowships; 20% decline in the price of consumer goods ; rent freeze and social decline in fuel prices, including 5 € on the gas cylinder. This group is, of course, composite political parties (PCR, PSR, PS, The Greens, SO, NPA Reunion, Left Party ...), unions (CGTR, Partners, FSU, FO, SAIPER, UNEF ...) associations ( CA Unemployment Act louse All Nut, Union of Women Réunion, ATTAC, ATD Fourth World ...).
Specific actions have already been conducted in supermarkets (to lock boxes, for example); actions relayed by students. A general strike is planned for March 5 with a large demonstration in Saint-Denis, the Collective also called to attend the National Day of Action March 19.
On the academic front, Reunion has joined the national movement against the reforms sarkozyennes (LRU, Mastering, status of teacher-researchers, removing IUFM, sabotage of IUT, etc..), With a slight delay due to vacations Southern (Dec. 20 -2 February). The indefinite strike was decided at the start, the renewal will vote in AG. The movement is followed at both sites (Moufia-Saint-Denis in the north; Buffer-Saint-Pierre in the south), which have been blocked several times ... or closed by the President. We must salute the fighting spirit of the students (AG daily demonstrations, blocking sites, "throwing slippers" to the rectory, "kabars" (music festivals), the funeral procession of "burial of the university, etc..).
Two black points: 1) the striking teachers, so numerous in Letters and Science, are extremely rare in Law (some teachers are engaged in unacceptable pressures on students and others seeking clearly to provoke confrontations between strikers and non-strikers) ; 2) the teachers involved in the fight still lagging students and have a supportive role. Remains the position of president (Mohamed Rochdi, elected with the support of "University Solidarity" list SNESUP + non-union "left"), inclined to close the university more often than needed, and whose last intervention AG (23/02/09) tended to discourage students from pursuing the movement ...
What are the precedents in terms of struggles?
It would be tedious to list the struggles of workers Reunion for ages. The most combative in the past were dockers and workers of the sugar industry. Private companies have now replaced the structure run by the union CGTR dockers in the port, and it remains only two sugar factories in operation.
The problem is that there is almost no industrial development in the traditional sense of the formula. Hence the struggles rather sectoral: the construction, trucking, small factories, etc.. In the agricultural sector of powerful movements were also introduced, but without long-term global perspective. Officials (especially personal Ct. N.) led struggles copies in 1997 and especially in 2003 (against the "territorialization" of the civil service reforms and cons of Ferry).
For now officials are gnawing at the bit. That said, the general deterioration of the social situation portends a united response from all employees.
What is the panorama at the union meeting?
All plants are represented French (CFDT, FO, SUD, etc..), But remains the most powerful CGTR (independent of the metropolitan CGT). Originally, the direction of the CGTR was totally controlled by the PCR (PCF split, too cautious, as we know, on the colonial question in the post-war ...), but the weakening of the political party (which retains a large electoral weight), has favored the rise in regional militant far-left (OL Maron, now "NPA Reunion").
Workers in agriculture, mainly sugar cane workers, are likely to radical actions, but outside the official peasant unionism.
In Ct. N., same range of unions in the mainland. FSU has lost a lot of activists after the great strikes of 2003, the failure of this powerful movement, which mobilized for more than two months all staff of the Public Service, has not yet been digested; nobody Forgot the responsibility of trade unions in breaking the front (I) (A) TOS / teachers. SUD is well established in the south of the island (St. Peter, Le Tampon). In the primary, the SAIPER (Union of Teachers and Alternative PE Reunion) that does the work of the most remarkable background (large processions in the demos). References are on the side of the School Emancipated. This makes it even better, the SAIPER chose the black flag. When will the CNT?
Interview by Jérémie IF of CNT.
Source: http://www.cnt-f.org/international/spip.php?article309
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